Between Warm and Cold: Impact of the Younger Dryas on Human Behavior in Central Europe
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Quaternary International 242 (2011) 277e301 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quaint Between warm and cold: Impact of the Younger Dryas on human behavior in Central Europe Mara-Julia Weber a,*, Sonja B. Grimm b, Michael Baales c a Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie in der Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen, Schloß Gottorf, D-24837 Schleswig, Germany b Forschungsbereich Altsteinzeit des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums Mainz, Schloss Monrepos, D-56567 Neuwied, Germany c LWL-Archäologie für Westfalen, Außenstelle Olpe, In der Wüste 4, D-57462 Olpe, Germany article info abstract Article history: Following a thorough review of high-resolution environmental archives, this paper aims at discrimi- Available online 23 December 2010 nating the factors determining the heterogeneous repercussion of the Lateglacial Younger Dryas in Central Europe. When examining the archaeological implications of human adaptation to the subsequent changes in the natural environment two divergent biotic regions are of special interest: the North European Plain and adjacent areas; and the Alpine foothills and surrounding mountain ranges. In these regions, two different archaeological technocomplexes (traditions) are found: the Tanged Point Complex and the Curve-Backed Point Groups. Considering the distribution of the archaeological sites witnessing changes in the material culture and subsistence pattern, the intensity of the environmental changes caused by the Younger Dryas is a decisive element. Settlement discontinuity during the Younger Dryas is questioned. Moreover, the potential existence of established social networks between the two regions expressed by comparable developments such as microlithization is considered. Finally, the authors assess whether the Younger Dryas acted as an accelerator or a brake in the process of regional diversification prior to the Early Mesolithic. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Point Groups or the Tanged Point Complex (TPC; Koz1owski, 1999). Equally, Wolfgang Taute’s study on Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Global climate change represents one of the most challenging sites in southern Central Europe (Taute, 1971) significantly influ- issues of today and hence draws the scientific community’s atten- enced the research in this southern region. tion to past climate events and their impact. In the European The destructive short-term event of the Laacher See volcanic Lateglacial, the Younger Dryas (YD) constitutes a well-studied long- eruption, preceding the onset of the YD by c. 200 years, is suggested term stadial event (Greenland Stadial GS-1, nomenclature accord- to have provoked important human reactions, such as the forma- ing to Björck et al., 1998) with significant effects on soil stability and tion of the Brommean in southern Scandinavia (Riede, 2008). In the environment. However, the consequences of these changes for comparison, the YD is a long-term event with more pronounced the way of life of the hunter-gatherer groups in Central Europe vary and sustainable impacts on the Lateglacial environment. Thus, this both qualitatively and quantitatively. The so-called Ahrensburgian, raises the question as to which motive force leads to changes in named after the important region of the Ahrensburgian tunnel human behavior. Factors detectable in YD records from western valley northeast of Hamburg and noted for its reindeer-based Central Europe, such as livability of the landscape, resource avail- subsistence, occurs on the North European Plain and the adjacent ability, and traditional habit of the social group, are discussed here. uplands but is absent further south (Fig. 1). It represents the western variant of the Tanged Point Groups (Stielspitzen-Gruppen) 2. Before the cold e the Lateglacial Interstadial defined by Wolfgang Taute (1968), whose classification still constitutes the most commonly cited reference for the analyses of At least from the beginning of the Lateglacial warming (Greenland northern Central European assemblages attributed to the Tanged Interstadial GI-1), humans started (re-)settling several regions of northern Central and Northern Europe, which had been mostly depopulated during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; cf. Terberger * Corresponding author. Fax: þ49 0 46 21 813 535. 14 E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M.-J. Weber), [email protected] and Street, 2002; Verpoorte, 2004). According to reliable Cdates (S.B. Grimm), [email protected] (M. Baales). from the earliest sites in northern Germany and Denmark (Grimm 1040-6182/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2010.12.002 278 M.-J. Weber et al. / Quaternary International 242 (2011) 277e301 Fig. 1. Northwestern Central Europe during the Younger Dryas with permafrost zones (according Isarin, 1997: 324, Fig. 7; for further details see text) and archaeological sites mentioned in the text or Table 1: Mickelmosse (Larsson, 1996); 2: Odense Kanal (Stensager, 2004); 3: Arreskov (Fischer, 1996); 4: Alt Duvenstedt LA 121 (Clausen, 1996; Kaiser and Clausen, 2005); 5: Nahe LA 11; 6: Stellmoor, Ahrensburgian tunnel valley (Rust, 1943); 7: Melbeck-Friedhof 3/3A (Richter, 1992); 8: Bützsee-Altfriesack (Cziesla and Pettitt, 2003); 9: Wustermark 22 (Hanik, 2009); 10: Golßen (Gramsch, 1969); 11: Rhünda (Rosendahl, 2002); 12: Kallenhardt (Baales, 1996); 13: Geldrop-Mie Peels (Deeben, 1988); 14: Budel IV (Taute, 1968); 15: Roermond (Van Noort and Wouters, 1987); 16: Übach-Palenberg (Jöris and Thissen, 1997); 17: Remouchamps (Dewez et al., 1974; Baales, 1996); 18: Kartstein (Baales, 1996); 19: Kulna Cave (Valoch, 1988, 2003); 20: Sarching ’83 (Heinen, 2005); 21: Helga-Abri (Hahn and Scheer, 1983); 22: Henauhof-Northwest (Jochim, 1993, 1998) and Bad Buchau-Kappel (Jochim and Kind, 2008; Beutelspacher et al., 2009); 23: Jägerhaushöhle (Taute, 1971); 24: Seeberg-Fürsteiner (Nielsen, 2009); 25: Altwasser Cave 1, Appenzell Alps (Jagher et al., 1997; Nielsen, 2002); 26: Rofan Mountains (Kompatscher and Kompatscher, 2005) and Fotscher Valley (Schäfer, in press); 27: Gamssulzenhöhle (Kühtreiber and Kunst, 1995). and Weber, 2008), these areas were repopulated within the first part or, in particular, Federmesser-Gruppen (FMG; Schwabedissen,1954). of the Lateglacial Interstadial (GI-1e). An increasing number of sites The settlement remains of these groups give an impression of from these northern regions indicate a continuous or at least repet- ephemeral occupations. Only in rare cases do evident structures such itive settlement of these areas throughout GI-1. By the mid-Inter- as hearths occur. However, the spatial analysis of small lithic stadial (GI-1c), forests started growing in northern Europe, and by the concentrations suggests the possible use of small dwelling structures end of the Interstadial light forest environments covered most parts (tents; Gelhausen et al., 2004; Loew, 2009). As far as can be assumed of western Central Europe (Figs. 2 and 3; cf. Endinger Bruch/Meck- from the origin of lithic raw materials, e.g. in the Central Rhineland lenburg-Western Pomerania, northern Germany, c. 9 m above sea the territories appear comparable in size to the previous Magdale- level (a.s.l.), De Klerk, 2002; Säulingssee/Thuringia, central Germany, nian ones inhabiting the preceding steppe environments (Street 230 m a.s.l., Mäusbacher et al., 2001; Lake Lautrey/Jura, eastern et al., 2006). The lithic inventories of the FMG are characterized by France, 788 m a.s.l., Magny et al., 2006). Hence, by this time, Europe a flake and bladelet industry out of which small curve-backed points was occupied as far north as southern Scandinavia by hunter-gath- (Federmesser), thumb-nail end-scrapers and hardly standardized erers, who were adapted to these light forest environments. These burins are made. In addition to the small size of the projectile points, people are generally referred to as Curve-Backed Point (CBP) Groups numerous shaft smoothers may indicate the presence of bow and M.-J. Weber et al. / Quaternary International 242 (2011) 277e301 279 Fig. 2. Late Allerød, Younger Dryas, and early Holocene as represented in the oxygen isotope record from Greenland (NGRIP, Andersen et al., 2004) with volcanic ashes (Mortensen et al., 2005) in the GICC05 time scale (Rasmussen et al., 2006; Vinther et al., 2006) and the correlated environmental records from Hämelsee (Merkt and Müller. 1999), Siethener See (Kleinmann et al., 2002), Meerfelder Maar (Litt et al., 2003), Lake Svarcenberk (Pokorny, 2002), Lake Steisslingen (Eusterhues et al., 2002), and Ammersee (von Grafenstein et al., 1999). 280 M.-J. Weber et al. / Quaternary International 242 (2011) 277e301 Fig. 3. Northwestern Central European sites with the distribution of visible LST, permafrost zones during the Younger Dryas, and environmental records mentioned in the text. 1: Hässleberga (Larsson et al., 2002); 2: Endinger Bruch (De Klerk, 2002) and Reinberg Basin (De Klerk et al., 2008); 3: Siethener See (Kleinmann et al., 2002); 4: Hämelsee (Merkt and Müller, 1999); 5: Kaster (Hedges et al., 1989); 6: Laacher See volcano (Schmincke et al., 1999; Baales et al., 2002); 7: Meerfelder Maar (Litt and Stebich, 1999); 8: Oppershofen 3 and 5, Wetterau (Bos, 2001); 9: Mardorf-Schweinsberg, Amöneburg Basin (Bos, 2001); 10: Säulingssee (Mäusbacher et al., 2001); 11: Lake Svarcenberk (Pokorný, 2002); 12: Ammersee (Von Grafenstein et al., 1999);